After decades of neglect, British theatres are now recognized as significant records of the society that produced them and as valuable cultural resources. This book outlines the history of theatres and music halls from the late sixteenth century to the present, nothing the changing fashions in entertainment and evolving offical attitudes to safety that have influenced the architectural character of the buildings. Particular attention is given to the thirty-five years before the First World War, when music hall and variety entertainment developed rapidly and gave rise to a massive surge in theatre building. The account is enlivened with illustrations of theatres, their architects and their audience.